Correspondences of a Weary Traveller
by How to Train Your Moosie
Summary: If you could give a cat a pen and paper and teach them how to write... Letters, journal entries, thought clippings, and more.
1. one

**The idea came to me today on a sudden whim. I liked it. I sat down and wrote it. Now I'm posting it. Y'see how it works, baby?**

**I needed something new to write, something bright and cheerful and**_** fresh**_**. Writing this has satisfied that craving; I enjoyed typing this very much, and so I have decided to turn it into a series of written thoughts from the cats' points of view. The first installment is as follows.**

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_Leaf-fall, Quarter Moon the Third_

Dear Diary,

Squirrelpaw has disappeared from camp. At first, Dustpelt was really angry--he thought she was being lazy and sleeping in--but now I can tell that he's really worried. Don't bother to ask how I know; he's my father. I just...do.

After triple-checking the apprentices' den (and all the other dens as well, for that matter) it finally dawned on the Clan that she wasn't anywhere in camp. For some reason, Firestar was even more furious than I would have imagined. I mean, sure, she shouldn't have left camp without permission and all, but...over-reaction, much? Then again, Firestar's always been kind of a spazz, the old fart. Still, I wonder what got his tail tied up in such an ugly knot in the first place....

Anyway, a bunch of patrols were sent out to find her. I wanted to go and help search, too, but Thornclaw said that he meant to take another look at how my fighting moves were coming along. He promised that she would be found quickly, would be at home again soon.

Well, the sun is setting now, and she hasn't, and she isn't; the scouting cats were empty-pawed and glum as anything when they got back to camp. Personally, I still think that Firestar looked more like there was an irritating band of ticks dancing between his eyeballs rather than anxious about a missing daughter, but maybe that's just me. (After all, it's not like _I_ of all cats have kits of my own to judge reactions on, right?) When I poked my head into the medicine den to ask for herbs to soothe Goldenflower's bellyache, Leafpaw, Squirrelpaw's sister and the medicine cat apprentice, simply looked downright miserable. Poor chick.

Oh, yeah; did I mention the other rather disturbing fact? Brambleclaw is gone, too. I guess that more or less explains why I forgot all about it, though. I mean, who really cares about _that_ bossy furball? But, wait...a thought sorta just hit me, and…oh, great pile of foxdung. What if they--Squirrelpaw _and_ Brambleclaw--are out there somewhere _together_? Hidden away in the dark, creepy confines of a cave or something, _alone_? It rained last night, and… Oh, StarClan, I hope not. That makes me really angry, even to think about it. _Grr_. If I find out that he's harmed one little hair on her pelt, hurt her in even the smallest way... Well, let's just hope that it never comes down to that, okay? Okay. Good. Moving on, now.

When I was a kit in the nursery, my mother used to tell me and Spiderpaw all these "special thoughts," little things to remember and think about throughout your life. "To look to when you're bigger," Ferncloud would purr. She once told us that there was a saying that went something like "out of sight, out of mind." I don't believe in that, not one bit. Squirrelpaw may be gone, but I shall think of her every long day leading up to her return, whenever that may be.

I hope she comes back soon. I think I sort of miss her.

--Shrewpaw

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**=3 What a cutie-pie. -sigh- Well, you all know what happens from there. And you should **_**also**_** know what happens now. -coughreviewcoughangelicsmile-**

**Cheers, **

**--Annie;;/**

_**Saturday January 3, 2008**_


	2. two

**I realize that I've been neglecting this, and so I'm updating! Yay! This letter contains a bit of SandxFire and _slight _SandxDust, if that's how you want to interpret it. ;)**

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Dear Dustpelt,

Do you remember when we were young? Those days seem oh-so-long ago now. When we were kits in the nursery, we were the best of friends. Your mother and my mother would gossip like no she-cats you had ever heard before, and then would be our chance to stir up some _real_ mischief. Oh, the trouble we got into! Yes, those were the days, so young and carefree as we were.

Next came our apprenticeship, and, as I am sure you will recall, our contrary behaviour continued right on into that era. Those were grand times; the dawn patrols, the hunting lessons, the laughs we had together . . . I remember them all so clearly, Dustpelt. And I don't want to let them go. As I cherish them, I hope that you do, too.

Midway through our training, though, the peace was shattered. Everything we had, the confidence we shared, was interrupted by Fireheart.

I know you shun the name almost as much as you shun the cat himself, an act that drives a thorn into my very heart._ Nothing but a kittypet_ is all he is to you; you sneer the words with a sniff and a grimace, as if he is not worth the breath and time and effort it takes to say it like you care.

You are wrong, Dustpelt; we were wrong. _I _was wrong. I know we thought little of him in the beginning, but I realize now that we were wrong to shun him. There, see? I admitted it! I admitted it, and, great StarClan, I'm still alive. It wasn't that hard after all, to confess your faults, not at all the torture and embarrassment we thought it to be as kits. I have come a long way from who I used to be, in body and mind and spirit, and you can, as well.

Admitting is only hard when you don't mean it. If you do mean it, well . . . I have found out that it really isn't so bad, in the end. I think the trick is to _care_ about what you are confessing to. Whether it is a falsely assumed concept or outcome or even a living being, if you have a place in your heart for them then you can do anything, anything at all. If you really and truly care for them.

And maybe even if you love them.

. . . Did I just say that? Did I just write that? No, I didn't really. It's just a trick of the mind, that's all, nothing more. That part about loving somebody . . . oh, you know I didn't really mean it! But perhaps I did. I don't know! I'm so confused, Dustpelt, and I wish that I could talk to you, face-to-face like a normal conversation, so I could tell you about all of this in person and not in a stupid letter. But I know it won't happen that way, will it? Because you are angry, and . . . and I suppose that I can see the reason why.

I miss the way it used to be, the times when we were the very best of friends: back in the day when we shared all of our secrets; back to moons of warm companionship. Those times are gone now, and, though I can feel them trickling helplessly away through my paws, there is nothing I can do to stop them. We have grown distant, but what might I do? If there was ever any hope in rekindling our friendship, it was swallowed by the hatred in your gaze and the contempt in your words. It is like you don't _want _to be friends anymore, and that is what hurts most of all.

Fireheart is a decent cat, Dustpelt, and I want you to see that. How is it that your heart can be so torn in two? I want to stay your best friend, but at the same time I want to be with Fireheart--maybe not for forever, but for a while, at least. As a friend. But it doesn't look like those prospects can happen alongside together, and I suppose now I've ruined everything by trying.

I miss you, so much. Please don't let our friendship burn away into nothing! They say that change is inevitable, but I believe that things can only change if you let them.

I love you, Dustpelt. I always have and I always will. I hope you write back soon.

Your very, very best friend,

_Sandstorm_

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**Hmm . . . maybe a little too deep for Sandstorm? Nevertheless, I enjoyed it writing it; again, it was very fresh and light to write. Yummy.**

**-poke- Hey, reviews are yummy, too! :D**

**--Annie;;/**

_**Sunday February 8, 2009**_


	3. three

**I figured the guilt would surely eat my head off if I didn't post /something/ over the Break, so... -shrug- Whipped this out I did, yup yup~**

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To my beloved Graystripe,

It's funny how you can be looking for something for your whole life and not know it, don't you think? I mean, up until I met you, I was pretty content with my lifestyle. I had loving housefolk, good friends, and a constant purr in my throat. I was happy with what I had, and things couldn't get much better . . . or so I thought.

When you came along, though, I realized how wrong I was. If my housefolk had shown me the high life, then you made me feel like royalty. Suddenly, I was floating, drifting away from my owners, my friends, all my old ways. But you were there still—the very reason for my sudden sense of detachment, ironically enough--and you held me down. Graystripe, you were my anchor to all things of life while at the same time the motor I pulled my energy and love and life from, and it is not until now that I can truly apprehend that.

Our journey . . . it was hard, but just look how far we've come! We reached the Clans, and they welcomed you back with ecstasy and embraced me with . . . well, perhaps not all of them, but they accepted me. They gave me a home when I thought that I had lost mine for good, and it was all because I was with you. In that moment of acceptance, I had never felt so overwhelmed by the pride I have for you; to be so greatly respected by such a huge number of cats! I was shocked, and happy, and nervous and scared and excited all at once, but overtop of everything else I thought that my heart might explode with joy.

Speaking of joy, oh, our babies are so beautiful. I never thought I would set my eyes on something so precious, so full of life and glory and _hope_. They will grow up in the home you have brought them--me--_us_--to, surrounded by their friends and family, and above all they will be loved and cared for. I have such hopes and dreams for them, Graystripe, in that, maybe, one day they might meet their soul mates like I have been brought to you. Fate.

I love you, Graystripe. I love the soft brush of your fur, the rumbling purr in your throat, the liquid gleam in your amber eyes as you gaze in awe at the world around you. I love the way you react with your Clanmates, so full of laughter and happiness. I love the way you look at our children, to see the hope and pride you, too, hold for them. And though some may call it selfish, the thing I love about you most is the way you love me.

So thank you, Graystripe. Thank you for finding me that day, for rescuing me when I didn't even know that I was lost. I just wanted to let you know that I cherish every single moment I spend with you with all of my heart, and that being with you has perfected my life in every possible way. Thank you for everything.

Love,

_Millie_

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**Lawl; I hate Millie. Don't even know why I wrote about 'er, but, hey, at least now I can say that I tried and'll never have to pen her name again. ;) DIVERSITY FTW~**

**--Annie;;/**

**_Thursday March 19, 2009_**


	4. Child o' Mine

**This is a letter from Tigerstar to his children. Can you match the separate sections to their respective sons/daughters? :) Happy Father's Day. **

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Correspondences of a Weary Traveller

_Child o' Mine_

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To my children,

I will love you forever.

--

You are my hopes and dreams. The oldest of them all, I could hardly believe it when I first laid eyes on you. In that moment, my pride was ignited; the only thing I could think of was the gleaming glory of the future you could have. Your paws could take you anywhere, down any path you chose. You could be great, victorious, somebody every cat looked up to: a leader. I saw myself in you, in both looks and personality, just a smaller mirror image--you were my everything. My child.

--

You are my determination, all stubborn feistiness and headstrong loyalty. As if you wanted to show proof of such a matter, you yowled to the heavens as you came into the world, more beautiful than anything else. Proud flames smothered my heart, engulfing my senses in overwhelming emotions. I did not know that it was possible to feel so much love. Defiance was strong in your blood, your clever mind constantly on the lookout for another way to prove yourself. Your pawsteps were worshipped; all the forest bowed down to you. I knew myself bound to teach you, to show you how to rule your subjects--you were my everything. My child.

--

You are my faith, the one who warms the very spirit of my soul. I wondered what you would come to be, thought of all the ways you would make me proud. Disappointed? Never. You stood your own ground, a technicolour flower in a rainbow garden, more radiant than all the rest. You outshone all the others, your demeanour impossible to disrespect. Like a drug, you lured with irresistable seduction; like a hunter, you possessed your newfound prey. Compassionate and judicious, I found myself marked forever by your grace--you were my everything. My child.

--

You are my power, my strength and my knowledge. When your qualities came together, you were flawless, unstoppable. You waited for no one and halted for everyone. Frozen as ice, your gaze hindered all; sly and soothing as a snake, no cat could escape the enticement of your voice. Captivated, they listened; laughing, you won. Creation by wit, excavation of precision, you welded my pride to an unimaginable intensity. I felt myself changed, scorched from the tips of my fur to the bones of my body, by your allegiance--you were my everything. My child.

--

You are my children; always remember that. I have loved you forever, and I always will. Never let regret pierce you in any way, let it strike falter into your step or throw delusion into your mind. I will never regret anything I have ever done, no matter how great--or terrible, depending on your conviction; I will never feel remorse for the things I've done in my life. Why, you ask? Because I have you. Yes. I have you, and you are my children.

Your father,

--_Tigerstar_

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**Dedicated to all the amazing dads out there, whether they're a scheming Tigerstar or a jovial ol' grampa--and, of course, to mine. ;) Love you lots, Dad. You're fantastic.**

**I'd also like to thank sweetlolitaangel, whose reviews earlier today made me remember that I had an actual fic to update! You rock! :D**

**--Annie;;/**

**_Sunday, June 21, 2009_**


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